Opinion page editor Rick Holmes and other writers blog about national politics and issues. Holmes & Co. is a Blog for Independent Minds, a place for a free-flowing discussion of policy, news and opinion. This blog is the online cousin of the Opinion
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Opinion page editor Rick Holmes and other writers blog about national politics and issues. Holmes & Co. is a Blog for Independent Minds, a place for a free-flowing discussion of policy, news and opinion. This blog is the online cousin of the Opinion section of the MetroWest Daily News in Framingham, Mass. As such, our focus starts there and spreads to include Massachusetts, the nation and the world. Since successful blogs create communities of readers and writers, we hope the \x34& Co.\x34 will also come to include you.

Obama had the nerve to suggest that Assad may be motivated to give up his chemical weapons because Assad is afraid of American air strikes. I can’t believe those words came out of Obama’s mouth. Assad does not fear American air power, because it seems increasingly likely that Congress isn’t backing the Regime and its whacked out foreign policy misfits.

As I noted a week ago, Assad is super rational, which distinguishes him from the rebels in his country. One of the reasons I believe Assad did not use chemical weapons is because he is rational enough to know that they cannot be used with impunity. Thus, if Assad hands over all of his chemical weapons, he gets three or four immediate benefits. First, he’s the good guy for giving up his chemical weapons. Second, it leaves only the rebels with chemical weapons, which means that if chemicals show up again, Assad in the clear. this means that, third, the United States, Russia and the rest of the world are essentially guarantying the regime’s security if the rebels use chemical weapons, since it would violate a red line that Obama says can’t be crossed. Fourth, the United States would be recognizing the continuing legitimacy of the Assad government, and the Obama Regime is going to look pretty stupid if it later criticizes a government committed to international law. So, Assad doesn’t have to fear American military power–he can recognize that the face-saving is there for a climb down for Obama, and Assad smells like roses.

And Assad gets the benefit of Obama looking like a total ass, which is what he is, and how he appears when he makes these kinds of stupid comments. Match. Set. Game. Advantage-Assad.